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Md. Man Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For Recruiting Center Bomb Plot

BALTIMORE (WJZ)— The man who admitted he plotted to bomb a military facility in Baltimore County learns his fate in federal court.

Weijia Jiang has more on Friday’s sentencing.

Antonio Martinez’s fate was sealed in federal court in Baltimore.

On Friday, a judge sentenced Martinez, 22, to 25 years in prison for plotting to bomb a military recruitment center in Catonsville.

The home-grown terrorist told a government informant he wanted to wage jihad on the United States.

“He went ahead, armed the bomb on his own after it was presented to him by the undercover, drove the car, parked the vehicle in front of the building then went to a vantage point so he could see the effect of what would happen when he activated the bomb,” said Christine Manuelian, assistant U.S. Attorney.

In January, Martinez pleaded guilty to the chilling plan, but during his sentencing, he renounced terrorism and the use of violence. He also apologized for his acts, which he called “wrong.”

“He intended in fact to kill people. He intended to do damage,” said Rod Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney.

In 2010, it was an informant who tipped off the FBI after reading radical posts on Martinez’s Facebook page.

Secretly recorded conversations revealed his anger toward America.

“I have a desire to die in the cause of Allah. And if I go to hell for that, then I’ll be happy,” Martinez said before the bomb plot.

The charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, though the judge only gave Martinez 25 years.

It’s what federal prosecutors agreed on in the plea agreement, which he signed with his Islamic name-Muhammad Hussein.

The judge also sentenced Martinez to five years of supervised release following the prison time.